Extended Scenes Chapter 22 and onward
by madetolove1998
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened after Chapter 21 of Elizabeth George Speare's beautiful book? Kit and Nat finally agree to live the rest of their lives together, but what does that story look like? And what does Kit's family think of her sailor?


**The Witch of Blackbird Pond: Extended Scenes**

 **Chapter 22**

"Oh Nat, what will Uncle Matthew say? He doesn't even know you." Kit's hands gently grasped the seaman's elbow as they walked towards Kit's home.

Nat's blue eyes gleamed with familiar mischief. "He certainly knows of me, though. The troublemaker who lit carved pumpkins in William Ashby's windows, and the scoundrel who is friends with an old Quaker woman."

"What does that make me, then?" Kit asked playfully, remembering she herself had disappointed and probably offended William, as well as befriended Hannah Tupper.

"It makes you and I perfectly right for each other," Nat replied, smiling at the young woman beside him. His acquaintance with Kit had blossomed into an affection he never would have imagined just a year before. The proper, headstrong Katherine Tyler from Barbados who had first boarded the _Dolphin_ had been a stranger; now Kit was close and dear and beautiful.

"We're so similar, Nat," Kit sighed as they turned onto High Street. Passing the stocks, she laughed lightly at the memory of seeing Nat in them. "We're both troublemakers! Neither of us are very talented at conforming to Wethersfield, or these people's Puritan traditions."

"'True. Both of us are tropical birds, and when stuck in a cage with dull pigeons, we long to soar and fly wherever the wind floats us. Am I right?"

"Will you never cease the bird analogies?" Kit laughed.

They were approaching the Wood house. "Never, my sparrow," Nat murmured as they knocked on the front door. His hand met hers. Kit felt a tingle of anticipation and anxiety rush up her spine. What would Aunt Rachel think - and right after Mercy and Judith's engagements!

Judith opened the door. "Kit, where have you been? Oh! Aren't you that rough sailor who put jack-o-lanterns on my William's house?"

Nat's eyes widened at the news of Judith's engagement to Kit's old admirer. Squeezing Kit's hand, he replied as seriously as he could. "I sincerely apologize for my past actions, Mistress Wood."

Apparently it was enough to satisfy Judith. She beamed and opened the door wider. "Well then, come in and join us for supper!" Noticing Kit's hand joined with Nat's, her eyes narrowed and her lips puckered in thought. "Kit, are you…attached…to this man?"

A nervous giggle escaped Kit and she frantically searched for words to say. Thankfully, Nat stepped in.

"We'll see after I talk to your father." The statement had a dramatic affect on the future Mistress Ashby. Her eyes grew even larger and she beamed.

"Oh Kit, how happy I am for you! This is all meant to be!"

Her heart pounding wildly, it was all Kit could do to smile back at her cousin. She then realized her hand was still clutched to Nat's, and she quickly released it so they could enter the company room with Judith.

"I don't think you've been here before, have you Nat?" She asked casually, taking a seat on a chair.

"No. You never cared to invite me," he teased, his eyes twinkling like sapphires as they glanced around the bare room and finally came to rest on her own. Kit felt color rising to her cheeks as she returned his gaze, until Judith coughed politely.

"I am still here, you know. You'll have plenty of time to gaze into each other's eyes later. Please Kit, tell me the tale! Since when have you loved this…this…"

"Nat," Kit said, the name sliding easily from her tongue. "Nathaniel Eaton."

"You can just call me Nat," the riverman interjected before Judith could reply.

"Well then, Nat," Judith smiled, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard about you, you know. Well, truthfully, I didn't know it was you. But Kit has hinted at a mysterious love for the past few weeks."

"Judith!" Kit scolded, desperately wanting to avoid the subject. But her cousin was determined.

"Kit's been so dreamy and starry-eyed lately, I knew something romantic was going on. I just didn't know who, after she refused William."

"I never really loved William, you know," Kit said quietly. It was rather uncomfortable to discuss the young Mr. Ashby around Nat, but Judith's mind could not be altered.

"I know," Judith replied, a smile lighting her delicate features. "It is so perfect things turned out this way. I should have known William and I were meant to be."

Feeling out of place in the conversation, Nat had stood up and walked over to the doorway, peering into the bustling kitchen. "Kit, can you introduce me to the rest of your family?"

She quickly stood up. "Oh, of course! I'm sorry, Nat."

"Nothing to be sorry about, my sparrow," he replied softly as they rounded the corner. Aunt Rachel was stirring the large cast iron pot filled with delicious smelling stew and Mercy was shucking corn. At the sound of movement, the eldest cousin raised her lustrous gray eyes.

"Oh Kit," she breathed, taking in Nat's presence with an understanding only Mercy could have. Kit smiled widely and turned to her aunt.

"Aunt Rachel, this is Nathaniel Eaton, my…friend, and a friend of Hannah's. His father owns the _Dolphin_ , the ship I sailed on when I traveled here from Barbados."

The woman's face crinkled into a hundred wrinkles as she smiled. Though only in her fifties, Rachel Wood had led a strenuous life, but moments of happiness like this made her appear younger.

"I know who you are, young man," Aunt Rachel said warmly. "And you are welcome in our home. Are you staying for dinner?"

"With your permission, ma'am. I wish to speak…"

A tall, imposing figure filled the doorway from the yard. The deep voice of Matthew Wood penetrated to every corner of the small room.

"Have you heard the news? Governor Andros is leaving for good! Thank the Lord Almighty, our charter is safe."

"Are you positive, sir? This is sudden news!" Nat exclaimed, astonishment - as well as a small hint of pleasure - written on his face.

Matthew turned to face the newcomer. "I am sure, young man. Are you the sailor who saved Kit from her trial?"

Kit lowered her eyes as a small smile twisted her lips. "Yes, sir," Nat replied proudly. "Though it really was not me; Prudence provided Kit's deliverance."

"But not without your help," Kit said, looking up at the man beside her and remembering the scene she had played over and over in her mind: Nat, standing in the doorway to the courthouse, fair-haired and calm, sending reassurance and peace that strengthened her to endure the ordeal. He had been her deliverance, not just Prudence.

"Regardless, we are all in your debt, Nathaniel." As her uncle spoke these words of gratitude, Kit realized how much the stern, harsh man she had thought she had known was only a piece in the complicated puzzle of Matthew Wood.

"Supper is ready," Aunt Rachel announced, carrying bowls of stew to the dining table. Realizing how hungry she was, Kit led the way. Nat took the seat next to her, and after a lengthy prayer, the family began.


End file.
